


i like you a latte

by statuesquue



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25278676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/statuesquue/pseuds/statuesquue
Summary: Edmund stumbles upon a little out-of-the-way cafe one bleak evening, and when he sees the cute barista, Caspian, well... he's hooked.
Relationships: Caspian/Edmund Pevensie
Comments: 14
Kudos: 118





	i like you a latte

**Author's Note:**

  * For [embraidery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/embraidery/gifts).



> i will literally Die for a good coffee shop au, sue me  
> ft. hand holding and awkward edmund

It's the fourth day of winter, and Edmund is already freezing. Snow has just begun to fall, wafting about in the chilled air, and a silvery frost is beginning to creep over bare branches. It's picturesque, a perfect postcard scene, but Edmund's never liked the cold.

He shivers, pulling his coat a little tighter around him as he hurries through the street. It's getting darker every second, and the streetlights closest to him are a harsh white in contrast to the pale yellow moon. Most of the stores have closed or are closing, with only a few still open. He passes a shuttered jewellery shop, a high-end boutique and a darkened bowling alley before finally reaching his bus stop. He shivers again, and takes a seat on the cool metal bench. His bus isn't due for a few minutes, so he tilts his head back and studies the sky, flinching every time a snowflake makes its way past his collar.

Five minutes pass, and his bus still hasn't arrived. He frowns, and checks his watch- perhaps it's running late?

Another five minutes pass, and Edmund digs out his phone from his pocket. It's about to die, (it’s on 7%), and he quickly flicks through his travel app. Sure enough, his bus has been delayed for another half hour. He groans, and moves to put his phone away, before he feels the familiar buzz of an incoming message. It's from Lucy.

_susan and lili are holding hands!!_

It's accompanied by an image- Susan sneakily holding hands under the table with her best friend and longtime crush of 6 years, Liliandil.

 _Finally_ , he responds.

And then,

_Could you pick me up? My bus is running late._

The message sends, and he waits anxiously for a reply. His phone battery has slipped to 3% when he gets Lucy’s reply. 

_turn on your location ed!! how else am i supposed to find you_

_I dunno, ask?_ Edmund shoots back, but turns on his location anyway. The Pevensie house is a good half hour away, so Edmund stands and looks around for a warmer place to wait. The closest open shop is a tiny cafe on the corner. He makes his way over, hoping against hope that they're not about to close.

He's in luck- the sign hanging haphazardly on the door tells him that the shop is open from 9am-10pm each day.

With a merry jingle, he pushes the door open and enters the blissful warmth of the cafe. Almost sighing in relief, he moves slightly closer to the source of the heat- an old-fashioned heater- and unbuttons his coat slightly. There's no one at the counter, so he closes his eyes slightly and lets himself relax. From his pocket, his phone plays a tone he’s all too familiar with- a cheerful “ding ding ding” that lets him know that it’s dead.

A voice startles him out of his reverie.

"Hello! Welcome to _Aslan's How_ , what can I get you?"

Edmund turns around. The speaker is a boy about his age, with hair coming down in lazy curls to rest against the side of his jaw. Come to think of it, he looks rather familiar. Is that....

"Caspian?" he asks, at the same time as the other boy says, "Edmund?"

Oh, so it _is_ him. Caspian recovers first, and moves forward, wiping his floury hands on his apron. “It’s good to see you!” He exclaims, wrapping Edmund in the kind of manly hug that all males seem to instinctively know. 

“You too,” Edmund tells him. “You look… well.”

What he _really_ wants to say is, “You look good,” but he’s unsure of the policy on telling your sister’s ex-boyfriend that they look hot. 

Besides, he’s not even sure that Caspian _likes_ men. He’s probably straight. As are most of the guys Edmund likes. Cue sigh. 

He tunes back into the conversation just in time to catch the tail-end of Caspian’s sentence. “...you been up to?” he hears. 

Edmund has to think for a minute. “I haven’t been doing much. Lucy’s preparing for uni, Peter’s trying to become a doctor, and Susan…” His mind flashes to the picture Lucy sent him. “Oh! Susan and Lili- sorry, Liliandil- are finally a thing, after, like, six years.” He digs out his phone, intending to show Caspian the picture. “I have a picture that Lu sent me,” he tells Caspian, before staring down at his darkened phone screen. “Oh. My phone is dead.”

Caspian stifles a chuckle. “I’m sure I have a charger somewhere you can borrow,” he says, turning around and moving to the counter. He rummages around in a drawer.

While Caspian is occupied, Edmund takes a seat and realises how completely _awkward_ it is to be showing pictures of Susan and Lili to Susan’s ex-boyfriend. He sighs to himself. Why is it always _him_ who gets into these situations? Peter would skillfully avoid the topic, Susan wouldn’t even bring it up in the first place, and Lucy would be way too nice to say anything. 

By the time Caspian returns with a charger, Edmund is wracking his mind for something less awkward to say. Thankfully, Caspian changes the topic. 

“I managed to find a charger! Your phone _does_ use this type, right?”

Edmund checks- it does. Honestly, one would think that he’d know by now, but no. Flashing Caspian a brief smile, he attaches the charger to the powerpoint before plugging his phone in. Looking up, he realises Caspian has moved back behind the counter, and is busy making something that Edmund can’t quite make out. 

Edmund feels a stab of disappointment. It would’ve been nice to talk to Caspian for a while longer, but he supposes he’s not the best company. He removes his coat and broods in silence for a few minutes, until-

“Please tell me you like coffee.” Startled, Edmund jerks himself out of his thoughts and gives his customary answer. 

“I _bleed_ coffee, Caspian.”

Decisively, the other boy sets the tray in front of him. “Well, good, because I made you some.”

“You… made me coffee?” Edmund stares at the tray in front of him- it’s rather full, boasting a steaming cup of coffee as well as a few pastries. Caspian turns scarlet. “You looked cold, and hungry,” he says by way of answer. Edmund smiles, a quick, warm thing, and immediately flushes as Caspian grins back.

“What do I owe you?” He asks, turning around to ruffle in his coat pockets, glad that Caspian can’t see his reddened cheeks. “Nothing!” he hears him exclaim. 

Edmund swings back around. “I’m sorry, I could’ve sworn I just heard you say _nothing_.” He fixes Caspian with an accusing stare. 

“Consider it a favour.” Caspian finally answers. “I’m willing to bet you don’t have money on you. Also, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t give out free food every once in a while?” His voice takes on a teasing note.

Edmund sighs. “Guess I’ll have to accept, then!” Caspian smiles brightly at him, and Edmund’s heart skips a beat.

God, he is _so fucked._

-

Edmund finds himself visiting _Aslan's How_ more and more often- after a particularly long day at uni, when he’s on the way home from his part-time job, early in the mornings after his daily walk. Perhaps it’s the coffee, perhaps it’s the cakes, but it’s _probably_ the cute barista that keeps him coming back again and again.

The comforting scent of freshly baked bread hits Edmund as soon as he steps inside, and he inhales deeply. Caspian is currently occupied serving a pair of chatty girls- one dark-haired, the other blonde- and Edmund takes a seat as he waits. He tries not to focus on the other boy, but it’s hard to ignore him, especially since one of the girls seems to be flirting with him. When Caspian finishes serving them, he makes his way over to Edmund’s table. 

“Hey,” he says with a brief smile. “What’s up?”

Instead of answering, say, like a _normal_ person, he blurts out, “She was flirting with you, you know.”

Caspian raises an amused eyebrow, and Edmund blushes, looking down. “She was? I’d find that odd, considering the girls are dating.”

Edmund’s brain screeches to a halt. “Sorry, they’re _what_ now?” Caspian looks at him quizzically, and he quickly tacks on another few words to his query. “I mean, are you _sure_?”

“Via’s a flirt, that’s for sure, but she’s an old family friend- plus, she works here. So yeah, I’m pretty sure I’d know if she was dating someone or not.” Caspian cocks his head. “Why are you so interested, anyway?”

Edmund can practically _feel_ his face turn red, and he stands up in a hurry, pulling his backpack over his shoulder again. “I’ve just remembered something urgent I have to do!” He practically throws himself out of his seat and rushes to the door. “Sorry!” He calls out, without pausing to look back.

Once he’s a safe distance away, he mentally slaps himself. How obvious can he get? 

-

It’s more than a week before Edmund can bring himself to enter _Aslan’s How_ once more. The shop bell chimes softly as he pushes open the door, and he immediately ducks his head to avoid looking at Caspian. Maybe he should act like nothing’s wrong?

He takes a deep breath and heads to the counter, mentally rehearsing his order- he’s pretty much got the menu memorised at this point.

“Hi, I’d like to order a-” He stops, and does a double take. 

Because the person behind the counter is decidedly _not_ Caspian.

The blonde girl gives him a friendly smile. “What would you like?”

Edmund takes a deep breath and collects himself. “A blueberry bagel and a black coffee, please.”

She nods, jotting down his order, and Edmund idly glances at her nametag. A jolt runs through him.

 _Sylvia._ Caspian’s co-worker, and also his family friend.

“Would you like that for here or to go?” She asks, one hand swiping her hair away from her face.

Before he can stop himself, he glances around him and says quietly to her, “I don’t suppose you know if Caspian is in today?”

Her eyes widen. “You’re Edmund?” Then, before he can answer, she brushes her question off, and answers him. “He’s not in today. Actually,” she leans in conspiratorially, as if she’s going to tell him a secret, “I think he’s looking for you.”

Apparently his surprise is showing on his face, because she sighs, and turns away from him. “Last I saw him, he was heading towards Dancing Lawn.” She names a secluded park some ten minutes away from the cafe.

Edmund exhales. “Thanks… Sylvia?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” She flashes him a cheeky smile, and slides his order towards him. “Here you go.”

“Wait, how much is it?” He asks, although he’s already picking the items up.

“On the house,” Sylvia winks. “Go get your boy.” She makes a note on a scrap piece of paper and steps back from the counter as a phone- presumably hers- begins to ring. “Go on! I’ve got an incredibly important call that I absolutely have to take.” Sylvia picks up her phone, a small smile on her face as she begins speaking, and Edmund begins to move. 

After exiting the shop, he looks around. Dancing Lawn is northeast of the cafe, and he heads down one of the many alleys in order to take a shortcut.

Once he reaches the main road again, he stops for a minute to check where he is- to be fair, he doesn’t often go to Dancing Lawn from the cafe. Edmund pinpoints his location using his phone, then groans as the first few drops of rain hit his face.

“Just what I need,” he grouses half-heartedly to himself. “Rain.”

He makes his way down the sidewalk, trying his best to ignore the drops of rain that slip past the neck of his coat. Edmund has to admit that the rain creates a kind of nice atmosphere- it isn’t pouring yet, just a steady, light shower that turns the air into silver fog and makes everything seem a little more alive.

Dancing Lawn is deserted, probably because of the rain, and Edmund hums a half-remembered snippet of song under his breath as he crosses the ever-dampening grass into the shelter of the trees. He steps foot on a neat cobbled trail, and nearly collides with Caspian.

“Caspian!” Edmund says in surprise. 

“Edmund.” Caspian half smiles, a quiet sort of thing. “I was almost positive that you would come looking for me.” He shrugs elegantly, a fluid movement that makes Edmund’s heart stutter.

“You weren’t at work today- I wanted to check on you- Sylvia said I could find you here- I mean, you’re my friend and I-” He blurts out, blushing as his words trip over themselves in their haste to get out.

The other boy smiles that secretive smile again. “I’m pretty sure I know why you were looking for me. Perhaps it has something to do with why you left so suddenly the other week?”

Edmund raises an eyebrow. “And what’s it to you if it does?” 

Now it’s Caspian’s turn to blush. “Well, you see, I was wondering-” 

He abruptly stops as Edmund moves in closer- just a little, just enough to gauge his reaction. He wonders, distractedly, what would happen if he leaned in.

“Caspian,” he says quietly. The other boy swallows. Edmund looks at him, takes in all of him, the tan of his skin, and the curl of his hair, the way he looks at Edmund, pupils blown wide. He quirks his mouth up in a slight smile, and tentatively, hesitantly, Caspian smiles back.

They stay that way for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes, the only sounds being the quiet pitter-patter of rain on leaves and the pounding of their heartbeats.

Edmund isn’t sure who leans in first but oh, _oh_ , their mouths meet and it’s like nothing Edmund has ever experienced before. 

Kissing Caspian is the fizz of soda on a hot summer’s day, the spark of fireworks in a dark sky and the intoxicating thrill that comes from danger- but it’s also the crackle of wood in a fireplace and the comforting caress of a lover’s hand. It’s like floating, and the soft feeling of Caspian’s hand on his waist is the only thing keeping Edmund tethered to the ground.

Caspian murmurs Edmund’s name against his lips, and Edmund moves his hand to cup the back of his head, pulling him closer. All too soon, they both pull away slightly, hearts fluttering and both breathing heavily. 

“I should go,” Caspian says regretfully. “My shift is probably about to start.”

Edmund tries not to show his disappointment. “Oh, okay.”

“Come with me?” Caspian looks more open, more vulnerable, almost a little sad.

“Of course.” He reaches forward and links his hand in Caspian, fingers intertwining and fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. They begin to walk back out of the park, and Caspian puts his arm around Edmund as the rain hits them once more.

“What?” He says in response to Edmund’s questioning look. “I know you don’t like the cold.”

“You… you remembered that?” 

“Of course I did.” Caspian smiles, and really, what else is there to do but kiss him again? 

The pair walk in a comfortable silence until they reach the street where _Aslan’s How_ is. Just before they enter the store, though, Edmund chuckles.

Caspian turns to him. “What?”

“I just realised- you’re going to have to meet my entire family for the second time!”

“Ha ha, you’re hilarious,” Caspian grumbles, but there’s a smile on his face as they pass through the door, Edmund’s hand in Caspian’s.

**Author's Note:**

> i meant to write around 1k words but ended up with 2.5k, oh no


End file.
